A new analysis out of the Economic Innovation Group shows some rural communities are bouncing back post-pandemic faster than their urban counterparts.
EIG says that between 2000 and 2019 just under 1,000 rural counties lagged behind the rest of the country in population and income growth.
In the three years before the pandemic, those communities saw an annual job growth of just 0.4%, less than one-third of the national rate.
However, post-pandemic, growth has surged to over four times the previous rate.
Despite this progress, EIG notes that these communities still lag significantly behind the national economic trajectory.
